I thought I would post some pictures of the first incubator I built. I did so with much advice and guidance from Roy the incubator king. I have secured an old fridge for my next project – which should start soon, as I just sent this incubator to a friend who hopefully will be able to use it for some python eggs he hopes to have.
Side profile of the incubator as it looks when it is in use with the expanding rack. It was made with Styrofoam fish boxes, the expanding rack was the same kind of styro box, with the bottom cut out. Much like the hovabators.
Here we see the inside of the incubator without the expanding rack in place. The plastic grating is from a fluorescent light fixture.
I removed the grating to get a better look the heating system. I used a 40-watt replacement heat element intended for hovabators, but I used it at the bottom of the incubator. It is held off of a piece of aluminium with stainless steel 3/8 tubing hangers. There are 1’’ square aluminium tubing pieces used to hold the grating.
I used a small 120-volt fan. It was with Roy’s help that I found such a low flow fan meant for 120 ac. You can also see the thermostat. I used to think the thermostats wouldn’t work as well mounted in the vertical fashion, but Karel Bergman, someone else who’s brain I got to pick for incubator ideas, told me he had good luck doing it that way, and it has proven to maintain just as tight control as when mounted horizontally.
This is how I mounted the thermostat. I drilled a hole through the styro box to accommodate the adjustment handle.
I made brackets with aluminium to provide support. Without them, I think I would have accidentally hit the thermostat, and caused damage to the styro box. Also note the lock nut on the handle. On the aluminium, it holds the handle from turning very well.
I like these fans and know where to get them (Thanks Roy) The thermostat and heating element, along with other hovabotor replacement parts are available from Berry Hill in Ontario (Thanks Roy again). I got all parts in record time, they were sent out very promptly, and they were very reasonably priced.
Anyways, I got a dandy incubator that holds its temperature from fluctuating more than 1 degree F. In the months I have used it, it seems to drift very little. If it did drift, I would double check the temps with a different thermometer (I used a unit with an outdoor probe, as well as an outside thermometer inside of the incubator) – and increase or decrease the setting with the handle. I could bump it up .1 Degree F with a small adjustment, it was easy to not overshoot the bump.
It has been used very successfully for colubrid eggs in the past, and is may be subject to the python test in the near future.
I am going to experiment with other, larger designs (can use it to rear babies when not in use for eggs) – and will plan on posting pictures when I am complete. I may just go ice fishing instead.
Ryan
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